Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov may soon become the NHL’s highest-paid winger. Kaprizov will finish his five-year, $45 million contract after next season. And right now, after July 1, he is eligible to sign an extension with the Wild.NHL insider Michael Russo shared his thoughts on the "DFO Rundown" podcast on Monday."I think he's definitely going to surpass (Leon) Draisaitl", Russo said. "It's not going to be for $14m; he will be the highest-paid winger in the NHL, the question is how much and how long."Kaprizov plays on the Minnesota Wild's first forward line, and he is really important to their offense. He has played five seasons with the Wild (three with 40 or more goals). His best season came in 2021–22, when he had 108 points, including 47 goals. And this is the reason why his next deal is expected to be one of the biggest ever for a winger.Last season, Kaprizov played 41 games. He scored 25 goals and had 31 assists for 56 points. He posted a +19 rating and averaged over 22 minutes per game. In the playoffs, he added five goals and four assists in six games against Vegas. His best game came in Game 2, where he recorded three points.Minnesota Wild made the playoffs this year as a wild card team. They lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. The series ended in Game 6 with a 3-2 loss at home.Kaprizov and Matt Boldy combined for 10 of the team’s 19 playoff goals. Only one other forward scored more than two goals in the series. The Minnesota Wild also struggled on the power play. Kaprizov scored all three of their power-play goals. They also lacked finishing ability late in games.Kaprizov and Minnesota Wild will start discussions when he arrives in townKirill Kaprizov is expected to sign a new contract, but talks may not start right away, because he is in Moscow. Wild GM Bill Guerin just got back from a vacation in Europe. Kaprizov’s agent, Paul Theofanous, is also busy with other clients. According to Michael Russo, the team will wait until Kaprizov returns to Minnesota."I think, at this point, they're going to take a little bit of a breather here," Russo said, via bringmethenews.com "When Kaprizov gets back into town, I think, then Bill Guerin will meet with him and just make sure everything is being conveyed to him."Guerin wants to meet with him in person to make sure nothing gets lost in translation.